12 Trails to Try in 2017

We connected with Scott Turner, outdoor enthusiast, Modern Hiker contributor and co-author for the next edition of Afoot & Afield in San Diego County (hitting shelves this March!) to get a short list of trails to try in the new year. Here are his recommendations, by month, at parks and preserves across San Diego. We hope you will join him, and the rest of the County Parks team, as we “take a hike” in 2017!

JANUARY: Mt. GowerDistance: 8.2 Miles,
out-and-backElevation Gain: +/- 1,700’Difficulty: Moderately strenuousTime: 4 to 5
hoursBest Season: Fall, winter and springDescription: This rugged parcel of open space on the edge of
Ramona features some off-trail peak-bagging through a granite
wonderland with panoramic views across the western half of the county.
The climb to the triple summit of Mt. Gower follows massive granite
slabs for an exciting scramble to the top. The undulating ridgeline
approach provides an awesome workout, and several boulder outcrops
engage imaginative hikers with their fanciful shapes – are they
ancient dinosaur eggs preserved in time? Dragon fangs? Trolls who
didn’t get inside before the sun came up and turned to stone? Read
more in this Modern Hiker blog.

FEBRUARY: El Monte Flume TrailDistance: Up to 5
miles, out-and-backElevation Gain: Up to +/-
1,100’Difficulty: ModerateTime: 2 to 3
hoursBest Season: Fall, winter and springDescription: Back in the days before Sierra Nevada water was
shunted south to suit the needs of growing SoCal metro areas, San
Diego received its water by way of a flume carrying rain run-off and
snowmelt from the Cuyamaca Mountains. The flume is long gone, but the
old grade remains as a superb hiking trail offering views up and down
El Monte Canyon as well as a unique
vantage of the impressive southern wall of El Cajon Mountain. Cardio
fanatics will get a great workout thrown into the history/epic view
package. For more information, call the park at 619-443-1474.

MARCH: OakoasisDistance: 2.5 miles, loopElevation Gain: +/- 400’Difficulty: EasyTime: 1½ hoursBest Season: Fall, winter, and
especially springDescription: You get a little bit of
everything at Oakoasis: luxurious oak groves that
come alive with a riot of life during the heady months of spring,
grassy meadows, fine views across San Vicente Reservoir, and some
interesting botany, including beautiful Lakeside lilac, on a hike that
the whole family can enjoy. Although the trail is enjoyable any time
during the cooler months, you will get the most out of it when March’s
cool temperatures accompany a season’s worth of rainfall to bring out
the very best in the diverse habitats represented here. Read more in
this Modern Hiker blog.

APRIL: Santa Ysabel Open Space Preserve (Kanaka Flat)Distance: 7.4 milesElevation Gain:
+/-1,100’Difficulty: Moderately StrenuousTime: 4 to 5 hoursBest Season: Fall, winter and
springDescription: Springtime visitors to the eastern
parcel of Santa Ysabel Open Space Preserve
will witness a quintessentially California landscape complete with
trickling streams, sycamores and oaks swaying on a west wind, rolling
grasslands culminating in forested peaks, and some of the happiest
cows in the state. This lasso-loop circles the plateau of Kanaka Flat
which comes alive with wildflowers during March and April. And if the
longer distance of the route has you worrying about all of those
calories you’re going to murder, rest assured that nearby Julian has
enough apple pie for everyone. Read more in this Modern Hiker blog.

MAY: El Cajon MountainDistance: 11 miles,
out-and-backElevation Gain: +/- 4,000’Difficulty: StrenuousTime: 6 to 7 hoursBest Season: Fall, winter and springDescription:
And speaking of the war on calories, have you tested yourself on
the county’s great cardiosaurus, El Cajon Mountain? On San Diego’s
toughest hike, you get to find out what your grandparents meant when
they talked about walking uphill both ways. To reach the epic views
atop the peak or from the brow of El Cap, you will have to go up,
down, up, down, and then up again before doing it all over again on
the way back. Your reward for all the work, aside taking the rest of
the week off from the Stairmaster? Views that span the county from the
sea to the summit of Cuyamaca Peak and beyond, as well as all of the
bragging rights. Read more in this Modern Hiker blog.

JUNE: Dairy Mart PondDistance: 2.7 miles,
loopElevation Gain: 0’Difficulty:
EasyTime: 1½ hoursBest Season: All
yearDescription: Did you know that San Diego County
hosts nearly 500 different species of native and non-native/migratory
birds? Countless coastal locales, including those protected in the Tijuana River Valley Regional Park
are hot spots for bird watching. Some of the best birdwatching can be
done on the Dairy Mart Pond loop. This family-friendly loop starts and
ends at the pond, where a bird blind allows avian fanatics to observe
the wildlife without the birds being any the wiser. Beautiful riparian
vegetation on the banks of the Tijuana River provides an added bonus
to the abundant birdlife along the way. Here’s a video snapshot from
the grand opening a few years ago and an article on more recent upgrades to
the area. For more information, call the park at 619-428-2946.

JULY: Spooner’s MesaDistance: 3.2 miles,
loopElevation Gain: +/- 450’Difficulty:
ModerateTime: 1½ hoursBest Season: All
yearDescription: For some unique views and some
bi-national flavor, consider this moderate loop around Spooners Mesa.
The views from this coastal mesa encompass all of southern San Diego,
the Coronado Islands, and a big chunk of Tijuana just south of the
international border. In addition to vistas, you can enjoy a mixture
of coastal sage-scrub habitat with a few surprising desert cameos from
mammillaria, or fishhook cacti mingling with its coastal barrel and
cholla cacti cousins. This video offers a
quick look at TRVRP’s burgeoning trail network. For
more information, call the park at 619-428-2946.

AUGUST: Otay Valley Regional ParkDistance: Up to
8 miles, out-and-back and loopsElevation Gain: Up to
300’Difficulty: Easy to moderateTime: Up
to 4 hoursBest Season: All yearDescription:
One of the county’s newer open space parcels explores the Otay
River Valley. Numerous ponds created from flooded gravel and sand
mining operations provide a number of tranquil watering holes popular
with local birdlife. A pleasant mixture of coastal sage-scrub and
riparian habitats – rare commodities in this busy corner of Chula
Vista – attract a wealth of birds year round. This thin ribbon of open
space caters to all kinds of recreation, and the western end connects
with the Bayshore Bikeway for a great day of riding. View a video
highlighting Otay Lakes County Park and Otay
Valley Regional Park to plan your next trail adventure!

SEPTEMBER: Guajome County ParkDistance: 3 miles,
loopElevation Gain: +/- 150’Difficulty:
EasyTime: 1½ hoursBest Season: All
yearDescription: A personal favorite of mine, and a
trail I hike nearly every week. This oasis of wetlands, ponds,
riparian woodlands, a lake, and sage-scrub provides some much needed
breathing space in a busy corner of North County. With two
playgrounds, a campground, and cabins, it’s hard to imagine a more
inclusive recreational space that packs so much into a diminutive
area. This park is perfect for summer
hiking when natural air conditioning from the Pacific Ocean provides
relief while the rest of the county’s trails bake under unrelenting
sunshine. Read more in this Modern Hiker blog.

OCTOBER: Volcan MountainDistance: 5.3 miles,
loopElevation Gain: +/- 1,700’Difficulty:
Moderately DifficultTime: 3 hoursBest
Season: Fall and springDescription: This crown jewel
of San Diego County hiking features astonishing views ranging from the
Salton Sea to the Pacific Ocean, both fall color AND spring color
courtesy of groves of deciduous black oaks, amazing wildflower
displays, and a rich array of wildlife. An interesting bit of trivia:
before the construction of the world-famous Palomar Observatory, Volcan Mountain was actually in the
running for the observatory site. You can visit an old cabin site
where the original surveys tested out the location before ultimately
going with the Palomar Mountain site. Read more in this Modern Hiker blog.

NOVEMBER: Kelly Ditch TrailDistance: 5.4,
point-to-point or 10.8, out-and-backElevation Gain:
+1,200’/-1,800’ point-to-point or 3,000’ out-and-backDifficulty: Moderately strenuous or strenuousTime: 3½ or 7 hoursBest Season: Fall, winter and
springDescription: This unique bit of hiking follows the
remnants of an old ditch that carried rain run-off from the slopes of
North Peak into the county’s oldest reservoir, Lake Cuyamaca. This
trail connecting Cuyamaca Rancho State Park and William Heise County Park follows a
bit of that ditch before passing through beautiful glades and
trickling creeks. Fantastic coastal views accompany hikers through
most of the route, and fall colors from the area’s black oaks adds an
unexpected dash of color. Get more info on the Kelly Ditch Trail via
William Heise County Park rangers by calling 760-765-0650.

DECEMBER: Agua Caliente County ParkDistance: Up
to 3 miles on looping trailsElevation Gain: Up to
500’Difficulty: Easy to moderateTime: Up
to 2 hoursBest Season: Fall, winter and springDescription: If you’ve never spent any time in San Diego
County’s desert regions, Agua Caliente is the place to
start. In addition to a pair of beautiful trails looping through
austere canyons, spring-fed marshes, and soaring viewpoints, you have
a great chance of encountering the park’s resident bighorn sheep herd.
Cap it off with a roaring campfire to the evening serenade of frogs
and a long, luxurious dip in the hot springs, and you have a recipe
for a perfect introduction to the desert – or even a rekindling of a
love affair between old desert rats and the vast open spaces of the
Anza-Borrego Desert. Watch this video to learn
more, or call the park at 760-765-1188.